Eighteen mentors and patrons from across Wa are being equipped with skills to sustain girls’ leadership initiatives as a major empowerment project prepares to conclude its mission in Ghana’s Upper West Region.
The Community Aid for Rural Development (CARD Ghana) organized the capacity-building training on Tuesday, bringing together representatives from six senior high schools and four project communities where She Leads Girls Clubs currently operate.
Participants focused on leadership practices, mentoring techniques, and sustainability planning designed to ensure the clubs continue functioning beyond the project’s lifespan. The training represents a critical transition phase as CARD Ghana prepares to hand over responsibility for the initiative to local stakeholders.
“Our agenda is for these girls to understand and realize their leadership potentials and to make an impact wherever they find themselves,” said Ms. Ernestina Biney, Acting Executive Director of CARD Ghana. She emphasized that every girl possesses leadership qualities and urged patrons to instill confidence and self-belief in their mentees.
The clubs operate across Wa Technical Institute, Wa Senior High, Wa Senior High Technical, Jamiat Islamic Girls Senior High, T.I. Ahmadiyya Senior High, and Islamic Senior High Schools, along with community groups in Chegli, Kperisi, Nakori-Chansa and Sagu.
Mr. Victor Elikplim Nuworkpor, Upper West Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education, led sessions distinguishing between coaching and mentoring while outlining essential leadership values.
“As a leader, you must have patience, courage, and tolerance,” Nuworkpor noted, describing mentorship as a lifelong commitment to developing young people’s potential.
The training generated enthusiastic responses from participants who pledged continued support for the initiative. Ms. Hedahiatu Yahaya, mentor for T.I. Ahmadiyya SHS Club, described the session as transformative, saying it provided fresh insights on nurturing girls from the basic school level upward.
Madam Zenabu Abdulai, patron of Islamic SHS in Wa, committed to sustaining her school’s club through collaboration with mentors and proper integration with the academic calendar. She credited her maternal approach with attracting many girls to participate in club activities.
The She Leads Project, implemented by CARD Ghana in partnership with Plan International Ghana, aims to increase girls’ and young women’s sustained influence in leadership and decision-making processes across formal and informal community spaces throughout the Upper West Region.
The transition to local leadership represents a crucial test of the project’s long-term impact, with trained mentors now positioned to carry forward the mission of developing the next generation of female leaders in northern Ghana.
